Sure, a few restrictions might still be in place this weekend—but there’s plenty to get out and do here in Sydney (and some awesome sunshine on the cards too).
Headling your weekend are two live and free gigs—Seymour Nights at the Seymour Centre, and Surf Club Sundays at Redfern Surf Club. We’ve also found a super-special one-off seven-course brunch, a month-long foodie festival in full flight up on the Northern Beaches, an enormous antiques fair, and an illuminated night sculpture walk too.
Remember to stay COVID safe, mask up and isolate if and when you need to. You can read more about this weekend’s restrictions here, and about NSW COVID case locations here.
Here are nine epic things to do in Sydney this weekend.
Friday 14 May
Listen To Local Artists And New Sounds At This Free Courtyard Concert Series
Missing live music? The Seymour Centre’s new free concert series “Seymour Nights” is for you. Running on Fridays throughout May and June, the program will feature 10 live shows from some of Australia’s most exciting music talent. Kicking off this week is Newcastle-based multi-instrumentalist Tom Myers with a drum-heavy alternative rock mood that definitely feels a little like Silverchair, followed up by Fleetwood Mac-esque folk from The Heart Collectors. There’ll also be food trucks on-site and hey, did we mention it’s free? For more information on the program and performers, head over here.
Sunday 16 May
Tuck Into Nour X Maha’s Next Level 7-Course Brunch
We know it’s not really a weekend without brunch—but if you’re looking to really (really) dial things up, you’ll want to hit Nour in Surry Hills this Sunday. Nour is one of our favourite brunch spots in Sydney, but this weekend they will be doing a special one-off seven-course brunch in partnership with Melbourne chef, Shane Delia of Maha.
The one-off menu pays hommage to Delia and Nour executive chef Paul Farag’s Middle Eastern heritage, and on the sharing menu are things like whipped cod roe filled borek bun, with dill, and Yarra Valley salmon caviar (swoon!); a duck and pine manoush; and baharat spiced beef crackling, with ricotta, wagyu basturma, and shankleesh (drool). During your feast, you’ll be treated to music from rising star singer-songwriter Ellis Hall. The brunch is $79 per person and you can (and should) book here.
Do Your Sunday Session At Surf Club Sundays—Redfern Surf Club’s New Free Live Music Party
Redfern Surf Club is a fun neighborhood bar that serves up Aussie craft beer, natural wine, tasty cocktails, and good vibes. The club is led by the owners and live music lovers Yannick Maslard (ex-Oxford Art Factory) and Jade New (ex-Future Musical Festival, Secret Sounds). In partnership with FBi Radio and Create NSW, these guys are intro’ing an all-new live music event called Surf Club Sundays, which will run every week until Sunday 13 June 13. Dipping into a wide range of sounds, it’ll be 100% free to attend too.
“Having live music at the Surf Club has always been part of our long-term plan and feels really natural in the space,” says New. “The music community embraced us from the start, so we’re excited to get these shows happening now and in the future.”
This Sunday from 4pm, you’ll find 19-year-old pop prodigy MAY-A joined by Liyah Knight with silky tracks of sultry R&B, and Melbourne artist D’Arcy Spiller’s indie vocals. Here’s more good news for you all: 4pm – 6pm at Redfern Surf Club also happens to be “Mega Happy Hour” with the food specials at Redfern Surf Club. More info is here.
All Weekend
Head North For “Taste of The Beaches”
Sydney’s Northern Beaches is not only one of our city’s sparkliest beach precincts—but it’s also a burgeoning foodie destination with stacks of spots that need to be on your radar. Keen to suss it out? Taste of the Beaches is a good place to start. The month-long festival an expansion of the super-popular Taste of Manly food and wine event, with events popping up everywhere along the peninsula from Palm Beach to Terrey Hills.
This weekend, hit up the food truck party in Mona Vale, or the wine and beer gardens (feat. live music and sunshine) in beautiful Palm Beach, or vibing Manly. Hit up the Park House in Mona Vale for smoked meats and smokey cocktails, drop into Manly Spirits for whisky tasting, or The Cumberland on Thursdays and Sundays for a gooey, delicious raclette plus a drink for $32.
For more details on Taste of the Beaches, head over here.
Channel A Romantic Countryside Mood At The Leo & Lin Warehouse Sale
Loved for their romantic, past-meets-present dresses—Leo & Lin is one of our favourite Aussie labels when we’re searching for wedding looks, weekend escape outfits, or perfect picnic dresses. This weekend, they’re hosting their annual warehouse sale, with Leo & Lin signature prints, intricate lace, tailoring, and evening dresses available in a huge range of sizes (AU6 – 24). Hosted at 17 Oxford Street, Paddington, the sale runs from Thursday through to Sunday. More details are here.
Wander Through This Illuminated Night Walk
This weekend, NOX Night Sculpture Walk is popping up for three nights at Randwick’s Environment Park, which will see artists from UNSW Art & Design completely transform the park and wetlands into an actual illuminated outdoor gallery. The artworks will be installed around a 1.5km loop walk that will start and end at the Randwick Community Centre. The best part? All the artworks will actually be powered and lit by renewable energy.
Once you’ve worked your way around the night walk, you can also hit the new NOX Night Cinema which will be screening short films and animations locked for nightly rotations in the auditorium. Naturally, you’ll work up an appetite and the good news is that there’ll be local food trucks slinging takeaway feeds from 5pm to 9pm on each of the three nights. Keep your eyes out for Baricrew, Wholly Schnitt, Algae Fine Food, BIG Dave’s Chippery and Hut Dog. On top of this, Archie Rose Distilling Co. will also be checking in to churn out the wine and beer offerings. More details are here.
Contemplate Paradise Gardens At This New Exhibition
Opening this Thursday at Jerico Contemporary is Tom Keukenmeester’s first-ever solo exhibition There Were Many Edens. Showcasing an utopian environment liberated from the boundaries of time and place, Keukenmeester has been inspired by the stories and myths of the beginning of time. For this show, the Melbourne-based artist has created six European portrait-style oil paintings and seven hand-built ceramics that explore the biblical “Garden of Eden” and ancient religious paradise gardens. It’s a 2D and 3D experience that merges past, present, and future, combining the real and imagined, the human and the animal, seeking to present a dreamlike world. More info is here.
Step Back In Time At The Sydney Fair
The Sydney Fair will kick off at Royal Randwick Racecourse from Thursday through Sunday this weekend. With over 50 of Australia’s most outstanding dealers, collectors, stylists, sustainability enthusiasts, and history buffs exhibiting their gems, it’s an all-out convergence of 20th-century antiques, jewellery, fine art, couture, books, prints, luxury vintage goods, and some of the most significant and rare objects you’ll find on the planet.
This year, on Saturday and Sunday, you’ll also find a unique showcase of the collection of 1920s gowns modelled on the catwalk and hear jewellery experts talk about seeking out, managing, and caring for vintage pieces and priceless jewellery collection. More details are here.
Snag a $20 Ticket and Drink Up For Australian Cocktail Month
You probably can’t imagine Sydney without its bars, bartenders, spirits, cocktails, wine, bubbles, and everything in between—and we can’t either. During the past year, we’ve seen COVID take a hard hit on the industry. Now, a brand new initiative titled Australian Cocktail Month is here to help us hit our favourite bars again and help the industry get back on its feet.
For its inaugural edition, Australian Cocktail Month has partnered with 72 bars across Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide. What you couldn’t have during 2020’s lockdown, drink back sevenfold (or 72-fold) this month. Simply purchase a $20 ticket, which you can then flash at participating venues (including Maybe Sammy, the Barber Shop, and The Roosevelt) for discounted cocktails and an exclusive menu. Head over here for more details and tickets.
NEED MORE IDEAS FOR YOUR WEEKEND? WE GOT YOU:
Image credit: NOX Sculpture Walk, Tom Myers, Nour, Park House, Leo & Lin, NOX Sculpture Walk, Tom Keukenmeester, The Sydney Fair, Australian Cocktail Month
